NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW

For filmmakers, musicians, & creative people who do amazing things and want to make the world better in some way.

The LOST videos: A Strange Christmas-Minded Story Regarding Anna Kendrick, Taylor Swift, and Elon Musk 

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This was supposed to be a short follow-up to the interview I did with Byron Reese. Instead, it turned into a freewheeling conversation about some of the big questions I’ve wrestled with for over 10 years: Is there really purpose, love, and destiny? If so, how do we find those things in a world gone mad, and how does politics fit into the story, if at all?

Wait, who does that as a response to a book interview?! Is this what happens when someone is too much of a LOST fan?!  

Normally, I’d object to such imagined questions. Rude! But there is that title, and it is Christmas. OK let me explain. 

So you see, my LOST videos are the ones I’ve referenced but haven’t posted on my podcast feed until now. Clearly, the previous sentence is not about the TV show LOST.

This is about the kinds of conversations everyone has around the dinner table—or at least the kinds I want to have at dinner and elsewhere but don’t always get to, when I’m bewildered by the world or frantically racing through some arbitrary to-do list because everyone else is doing it.

Along the way, I’ll share some of the defining moments and strange encounters over the past few years that have shaped me into the person I’ve become. 

Sharing this now because soon I’ll need to make some decisions about what comes next, and that includes whether or not to keep the podcast going and in what form. So I figured I’d post the videos as podcast episodes, just in case doing so can help clarify things for me and for any of you wrestling with similar questions. 

This wouldn’t be a Christmas-minded story without a guiding spirit or a star of wonder to point the path to a better way, so there’s some of that as well. Oh, and there are also a couple of scattered references to the TV show LOST … 

Some episodes are on the podcast feed but are best experienced as videos.

Merry Christmas everyone! 

LOST Video I: Destiny or Delusion—an Anna Kendrick Question


LOST Video II: Coincidence or Connection—Taylor Swift/Anna Kendrick, JFK/CS Lewis, & Ralph Waldo Emerson


LOST Video III: Defending Elon Musk, Reevaluating Tom Hanks & Stephen King

Regarding the Bluebird Cafe and Taylor Swift

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Brian A. Loschiavo, the director-producer-editor of the Bluebird documentary, was first exposed to The Bluebird Cafe through the show Nashville, a series for which he developed supplemental digital content. The now iconic country-music venue that has been instrumental to the careers of so many musicians including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, and Taylor Swift made enough of an impression on Brian that he set out to create a documentary about the place and the community of singer-songwriters it has nurtured over the years.

Bluebird premiered at SXSW 2019 but had a stronger reception at Nashville Film Festival several months later, where festival organizers ended up giving it four screenings to accommodate audience interest. I saw the film while attending the Nashville Film Festival and got to interview Brian there.

Some of the things we discuss include

  • How he was able to get a number of prominent musicians like Taylor Swift to be in his film
  • Why The Bluebird Cafe is such a memorable venue
  • The challenges of shooting and/or performing in a confined space
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Commentary

After I did the interview, certain subsequent news stories involving Taylor Swift came out, and they did affect my take on the film. Since Taylor Swift was prominently featured in the Bluebird documentary and discussed in my interview with Brian, I decided to do a supplemental commentary track to expand on my thoughts about her and how she affected my interpretation of the documentary.

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Playlist

Here’s the playlist I put together of related songs, some of which I discovered while exploring the musicians featured in the film. Others are songs I revisited while trying to rekindle the magical spark of inspiration that is the Nashville music scene.

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Sponsors for this Episode

nsavides productions 

I make friendly, engaging videos for earnest people. Some of my videos are here.

I want to get better at connecting with others, so I’m putting together a couple of videos as an experiment. This is the one I made while attending the Nashville Film Festival, and it does include a photo of me and Brian.

Say hello: podcast@nsavides.com

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MasterClass

Online training from some of the world’s best filmmakers, musicians, and creative leaders.

Get one-year access to all of Masterclass’s world-class instructors for one great price: MasterClass All-Access Pass

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My MasterClass recommendations for this episode

Ken Burns, the filmmaker behind the Country Music docuseries, shares his insights about capturing nuanced human drama on screen.

Reba McEntire shares her insights on country music and building a music career.

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Related Episode

I liked Bluebird enough to include it in my top five picks from Nashville Film Festival 2019. In this episode, I elaborate on why I picked it and share my other recommendations from the festival.

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Related Things

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Sheriff of Mars: the Long-Lost Musician Who Inspired Townes Van Zandt

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Premiering at Nashville Film Festival 2019, The Sheriff of Mars is a music documentary that tells the story of Daniel Antopolsky, a country and folk musician who was friends with Townes Van Zandt and who, the film suggests, helped to inspire Townes’ now iconic outlaw country song “Pancho and Lefty.” Wanting to escape the dark influence of the 1970s outlaw country music scene, Daniel retreated to France where he was discovered by Jason Ressler, the director of Sheriff of Mars.

Sheriff of Mars director Jason Ressler interview on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW

Jason was so captivated by Daniel’s music that he became his manager, helping him release his first album at the age of 65. More albums followed as did press from the BBC, Rolling Stone, and other renowned publications. Under Jason’s guidance, Daniel began getting booked to perform at prominent music events, including SXSW and the Black Deer Festival in the UK.

Not content to merely be Daniel’s manager, Jason also put together a music documentary to raise awareness of Daniel and his music. The Sheriff of Mars is what resulted, an affirming, on-screen demonstration of how it’s never too late to start a music career or to revitalize once-abandoned dreams.

If the vision is there, you need collaboration to make it happen, but if you compromise the vision—if you have a good vision—it’s not going to turn out well.“
– Jason Ressler

Jason is the first manager-director I’ve met, so I invited him on the show to get his take on finding success in film and music. Some of the things we discuss include

  • How he got a BBC profile for Daniel
  • How to persevere when beset by failure
  • Collaborating with music producers and engineers to create an album that’s right for an artist
  • The interview he did with James Brown before he died and the impression that left

If you listen all the way to the end, you’ll get to hear Daniel’s song “Fish Bait Blues,” which is also featured in the film.

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Sponsors for this Episode

nsavides productions 

I make friendly, engaging videos for earnest people. Some of my videos are here.

I want to get better at connecting with others, so I’m putting together a couple of videos as an experiment. In the one below, I explore the New Orleans Art Museum, its surrounding sculpture garden, and a few places nearby.  I also address some of the underlying issues that get in the way of connection, at least for me, and I try to do so with playfulness and honesty.

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Say hello: podcast@nsavides.com

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MasterClass

Online training from some of the world’s best filmmakers, musicians, and creative leaders.

Get access to all of Masterclass’s world-class instructors for one great price: MasterClass All-Access Pass

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Learn from and get inspired by Hans Zimmer, the composer on Gladiator, Interstellar, The Lion King, and more.

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Related Episode

In the interview, Jason mentioned being impressed by what Hannah Leder and her co-director were able to put together with a limited budget. On this episode, I interview Hannah about how she and her co-director pulled off a compelling film with just a two-person crew.

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Related Things

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Shows Mentioned

  • Black Panther
  • Gardians of the Galaxy
  • Grey Gardens
  • The Lion King 
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • The Planters 
  • Salesman
  • Searching for Sugar Man
  • The Sheriff of Mars
  • Sid Bernstein Presents…
  • Wonder Woman 

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Musicians Mentioned

  • Adele
  • The Beatles 
  • Bob Dylan
  • Daniel Antopolsky
  • Drake 
  • Emmylou Harris
  • James Brown 
  • Jessye Norman
  • Justin Townes Earle
  • Mississippi John Hurt
  • Ray Charles 
  • Steve Earle
  • Taylor Swift 
  • Townes Van Zandt
  • Willie Nelson

Book Mentioned

  • A Confederacy of Dunces 

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Commentary: HBO’s Treme, The Wire, & Tom Piazza

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In this episode I reflect on my podcast interview with writer Tom Piazza and share more of my thoughts about HBO’s Treme and how it compares to The Wire, both of which were created by David Simon.

Afterwards I share some updates about some possibilities on the horizon.

My conversation with Tom Piazza:

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My commentary about Treme and the interview with Tom:

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make friendly, engaging videos for earnest people.
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This music video was one of the things that brought me to Louisiana.
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More of my videos are here.
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Related Episodes

On this podcast commentary from the 2018 Cutting Edge Music Conference, I share some takeaways about the New Orleans music community. My interviews episode from Cutting Edge 2018 includes a story about Clarence “Frogman” Henry.

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Related Things

Tom (indirectly) helped to make this photo happen.

  • Treme on Amazon Prime
  • Recommended episodes of Treme
    • Honorable mention: 1.8 “All on a Mardi Gras Day”
    • 1.10 “I’ll Fly Away”
    • 2.4 “Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues”
    • 2.7 “Carnival Time”
    • 2.10 “That’s What Lovers Do”
    • 4.5 “… To Miss New Orleans”
  • The Wire on Amazon Prime 
  • Tom’s site

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

Shows Mentioned

  • Better Call Saul
  • Goliath
  • Idiocracy
  • Nashville 
  • The Practice
  • The Princess and the Frog
  • Rolling Thunder Revue
  • Treme
  • Waiting for Godot
  • The Wire

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Books Mentioned

  • City of Refuge
  • Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America
  • The Executioner’s Song 
  • A Free State
  • Le Morte d’Arthur
  • Why New Orleans Matters
  • Understanding Jazz: Ways to Listen

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Musicians and Albums Mentioned

Went to hear Clay and Jodi’s set for inspiration before recording this episode. Picked up their CD to say thanks. 

  • Allen Toussaint
  • Big Freedia
  • Bob Dylan
  • Clarence “Frogman” Henry
  • Clay Parker and Jodi James – The Lonesomest Sound That Can Sound
  • Elvis Costello
  • Fats Domino
  • Jazz Fest: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
  • Lost Bayou Ramblers
  • Louis Armstrong
  • Tom Waits

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  • Subscribe or leave an honest review:

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Treme & Why New Orleans Matters: Writer Tom Piazza

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Author Tom Piazza has written 12 books, many of which feature New Orleans, music, or both. His post-Katrina manifesto Why New Orleans Matters helped to inspire the HBO show Treme, and the show’s co-creator David Simon brought him on as a staff writer largely because of it. Tom received a Grammy Award for his album notes to Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey and has also written for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Oxford American.

Treme writer Tom Piazza Grammy winner podcast interview nicksav.show I met with Tom at the historic Columns Hotel in New Orleans to talk about his work and the city that has shaped so much of it. Some of the things we discuss in the episode include

  • Highlights from the 50th anniversary of Jazz Fest
  • How to write about a place like a local
  • What not to do when writing music criticism
  • Research that went into his album notes for Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues
  • How the writing room on Treme worked together to flesh out challenging story points

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This is the commentary track, where I share my take on Treme, how it relates to The Wire, and some reflections on my conversation with Tom:

Show notes for the commentary track are here.

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories.
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This is the video I put together to commemorate The Rayo Brothers’ performance at Jazz Fest 2018. For part of their set they were joined by Grammy-winning musician Louis Michot from the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

This wedding video I shot includes some classic New Orleans elements including Brennan’s, where Bananas Foster was invented; the Pontchartrain Hotel, where Tennessee Williams worked on his play Streetcar Named Desire; streetcars; and jazz.
More of my videos are here.
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Related Episodes

One of the bands featured in Treme is Papa Gros Funk. On this episode I interviewed the filmmakers behind Do U Want It, a documentary about the band that focuses on their final performances before their indefinite hiatus.

This episode features an interview with Laura Cayouette, a New Orleanian actress who played Kay, a recurring character on Treme. Laura is often recognized for her role in Django Unchained, where she played the sister of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character.

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Related Things

Treme writer Tom Piazza

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Books Mentioned

  • An American Dream by Norman Mailer
  • City of Refuge by Tom Piazza
  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  • La Vita Nuova by Dante
  • The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
  • Understanding Jazz: Ways to Listen by Tom Piazza
  • Why New Orleans Matters by Tom Piazza

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Musicians Mentioned

  • Barbecue Bob
  • Bill Monroe
  • Bob Dylan
  • Bonnie Raitt
  • The Carter family
  • Diana Krall
  • Elvis Costello
  • Hank Williams
  • Jimmie Rodgers
  • John Prine
  • Muddy Waters
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Shows Mentioned

  • Deadwood
  • Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey
  • Treme 
  • The Wire 

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If You Liked the Show

  • Subscribe or leave an honest review:

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How to Be Engaging Like a Rock Star: Ariel Hyatt

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For the past 23 years, Cyber PR Founder Ariel Hyatt has been helping prominent musicians and creative people use public relations, marketing, and social media to connect with fans and be more engaging.

She’s also written four books on the music industry and is an internationally recognized speaker who has spoken at conferences around the world including SXSW, Vivid Sydney, Hubspot Ignite, and Campus Party London. Her work has been recognized in publications ranging from Oprah, CNN, Wired, Billboard, Forbes.com, and The Washington Post, just to name a few.

Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR Music podcast interview on nicksav.show

Ariel came on the show to share her engagement insights. Some of the things we discuss include

  • How to develop a personal narrative
  • Fun things to post on social media
  • How music saved Ariel’s life and why it matters
  • What not to do when trying to get attention for your music
  • Compelling campaigns that caught Ariel’s attention
  • How to develop relationships with writers

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. This is the video I shot with Sean Gasser for The Excelleauxs at Blues Fest this year:
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More of my videos are here.

Say hello: podcast@nsavides.com

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Related Episode

One prominent musician that Ariel has worked with is Bree Noble, an awarding-winning musician, speaker, author, and founder of Women of Substance Radio & The Female Entrepreneur Musician. Bree also shares some resources for musicians looking to build sustainable careers in this podcast interview.

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Related Things

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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If You Liked the Show

  • Subscribe or leave an honest review:

Apple Podcasts

 

nsavides podcast on Spotify

Spotify

 

Overcast

Thank you for visiting!